PIA Review [2018] :- Is PIA Good for Torrenting?

Many people are familiar with the torrent. But what is a torrent? Torrent is a protocol or what we may call ‘files’ that do assist users to be able to share data with other people over the internet and within a short period. Many people have a misconception that a torrent is asoftware or a VPN (Virtual Private Network).

However, that is not true. To be able to use torrents, you require to have torrent software in your computer system, be it a laptop or desktop.

The two options are great when a user need speed for downloading or streaming, and you can also use a proxy to enjoy your online anonymity.

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Using VPNs or Proxy for your torrents is highly advisable because of downloading the torrents anonymously and without any hardship. A PIA user possesses advanced features, the high speed and the high level of privacy as it does not keep your logs of any online activity you do.

It has over 3000 servers which are located in 25 different countries and allows peer-to-peer networking. For users who are concerned about the security of their data, the PIA has encryption of the VPN service which will keep all your data safe from hackers and other malware.

This article will help you learn about ways to prevent downloads secure and protect your identity using the private internet access.

Why is Private Access Internet popular?

We need to look at the features that make PIA great before going through the process of downloading torrents anonymously using the private internet access.

One of the function is that you are assured of your online security and reliable performance at a very fair cost. PIA is ideal for new users, and besides, they do not store the connections logs meaning they do not monitor or log into your online activities.

The software is straightforward to use, and it has the option to select encryption protocol and key which suits the user better. This means that the PIA users are vigorously protected. PIA is a torrent-friendly service and has the SOCKS5 proxy which is a great additional feature to the function.

Every internet user needs a VPN for their privacy and security from anything or anyone trying to invade their online privacy. Other advanced features include; port forwarding which is useful for getting the best speed while torrenting and kill switch which hides your IP address from other torrent peers.

How does one sign up for Private Internet Access?

The process of signing up for the private internet access is fast and easy. The process is quick in that you can sign up, pay, download and connect to their VPN in less than 5 minutes. To create an account you will need; • An email address- the work of the email address is to receive your login information and an update from the company. The email address will also help a user recover their lost password in case they forgot. • Payment- you will need to have a form of payment for the services rendered to you. Users can pay using credit cards, master cards, PayPal, pioneer or anonymous Bitcoin payments because they are all acceptable. • Billing information- in case you prefer using credit or master cards your billing information is required. Billing information helps to identify the address in which the payments are from.

It helps to ensure that identity checks are rigorous enough when making online purchases. This is another form of online security to ensure that those paying for the services are legit and cannot cause harm to other torrent peers. Billing information will also show you’re billing address.

The following are three main ways in which one can use private internet access for torrents.

1. Using Private Internet Access VPN for Torrents

This is one of the easiest ways to protect your torrent privacy from malware by merely using the PIA VPN software provided, Using VPN is very important if you are torrenting or seeding especially if you value privacy and want to stay safe while browsing.

There are a lot of VPN providers coming up these days, but you have to pick one that suits your need. Every VPN provider has their specifications.

Before pulling on any VPN ensure that you think about the following issues; some VPN does not allow torrenting, torrenting requires excellent speed, a kill switch will protect you even if you’re VPN connections fails and finally no login so that you cannot be identified. How is this possible to ensure that a VPN protects your data?

Choose the right encryption strength- internet users are recommended to use the PIA default encryption of 2048-bit RSA handshake and 128-bit AES together. This blend offers security and speed to PIA users making it easier and faster to download torrents.

Enable the kill switch- a kill switch helps to shut down all your internet connectivity if the VPN in use fails until you reconnect or reset your network adapter. The importance of using VPN is to ensure that no one can track or see your real IP address for security purposes. With a kill switch even when the connectivity fails, your torrent peers will never look at your IP address while using a VPN.

Choose the right server location- PIA allows torrents in all server location, but the problem is that they reroute torrent traffic to the servers’ location without their users’ knowledge. When the reroute is done, it leads to latency and slower speed when downloading torrents. Therefore, users are advised to choose a torrent close location.

Ensure the VPN is functional- users can verify if the VPN is working by ensuring that the IP address is shown to other peer is the one for the VPN and not the real one. Install an IP tracking torrent to check your torrent IP address.

Advantages of using the PIA VPNs

It is easy to use as there is no manual setup for your torrent software.

This method offers strong encryption to users’ data.

The availability of the kill switch prevents IP leaks if the VPN gets disconnected.

There are six steps requires for torrent users to follow to use the private internet access VPN for torrenting and they include;

Sign up for PIA- the first step is to create an account with the private internet access. Follow the above step mention earlier on how to create an account for the PIA. Ensure that you pay for the services using the mater or credit card to enjoy their services.

Download the VPN software- download the virtual private network software on your computer to protect your data and create a private network that works over the public system. VPN software is mainly installed to ensure that your computer is safe and free from hacking.

Log into the VPN- users can quickly log into their VPN accounts using their username and password. The username and the passwords are emailed to the user’s email address when they are first creating their account or signing up.

Connect to a VPN server- ensure that you connect PIA to a public VPN server. The most recommended servers are Netherlands, Canada, and Switzerland. Users are highly advised to connect to these servers because they are safer compared to others.

Activate the Killswitch- users are highly recommended to enable their private internet access kill switch which helps to protect their information even when the VPN shuts down. Users may opt to activate the kill switch or not.

Connect to a torrent client- users can now comfortably enjoy launching their favorite torrent client.

2. Using the Private Internet Access SOCKS5 proxy

One of the reasons private internet access is gaining popularity among its users is the fact that they offer unlimited SOCKS5 proxy services for every PIA subscription.

Every VPN plan includes free access to the Netherlands-based proxy server which has significant advantages to the internet users.

The benefits of accessing this proxy server include; users can anonymize any software that accepts SOCK5 proxy, they can also hide their IP address while using the web scraping software and finally users can add a layer of anonymity to their torrent downloads.

The problem is that most users using the private internet access service do not even realize that their subscription includes the SOCKS5 proxy access. The following are easy steps on how to set up the SOCKS5 proxy access;

Acquire your proxy logins- For security purposes; PIA uses a different login for the proxy servers which are different from your VPN account. To acquire the information you will need to log in, Log into your account panel which is on their website and generate a SOCKS5 login.

Configure the proxy privacy settings- designing the privacy settings is very important as it prevents your proxy from leaking confidential information. Internet users are advised to disable their local DNS lookups, disable features that leak identifying information and also disable any connections that may be unsupported by the proxy. If you configure these settings, make sure that your data is safe from leakages.

Analyze your proxy connections- It is essential to test your proxy connections to ensure that it is working. You can do this by checking if your proxy connects without generating any failure. Testing provides that everything is working correctly and testing if your torrent IP address is using a tracking torrent. To set up a private internet access proxy, you need the following information; username, password, server hostname or address and the port number. These details will be used when you are connecting the proxy to significant torrent software or even use software like Flud for Android users.

This is the second option on how users can use the private internet access to ensure that their security is guaranteed and other torrent peers or hackers cannot see their IP address.

Online safety is paramount because there are lots of crimes happening these days and pirates are using internet users’ information to conduct criminal offenses which may lead to one getting arrested or being killed.

It is important to note that if you are using the proxy alone without the VPN, ensure that you enable encryption in your torrent client. This helps to reduce the number of available peers and also prevent your ISP from threatening your torrents or peers seeing what you are downloading.

3. Using the private internet access VPN with the proxy:

Most people believe that this method is not necessary and one can work with either the proxy or the VPN. This is not the case as this method is very safe due to the robust encryption which users enjoy.

The importance of strong encryption is that it helps users achieve a secure multi-tenancy in the cloud. This means that users can store their data in the cloud efficiently at a lower cost.

This is an excellent offer for users enjoying security at a lower price. Another reason why using both the VPN and the proxy is unique is because it offers a double layer of anonymity.

The advantages of using both the proxy and the VPN is that the traffic between your devices to your destination is double encrypted and your IP address changes on every stage of the process which creates an extra layer of anonymity to users.

We are all after our online security, therefore; it does not hurt to be more cautious. This process helps to maintain a high level of security at a lower price.

Using the proxy and VPN together is another option on how to use the private internet access which increases your online protection. The problem with using these two is that they are not useful while streaming or downloading something that needs speedy connections because they tend to be very slow.

The following are ways in which users can set the proxy with one of the best torrent clients or downloader’s which internet users should use to protect their data from hackers and malware. Each torrent client has its specifications and features, and therefore users should choose one which meets their needs.

Proxy settings on uTorrent

For one to access the proxy settings in uTorrent, go to options, preferences and then connect. Key in information on the type, proxy, port, username, password, and authentication. Next, ensure that you check all the six boxes which have a green dot to prevent leaking information through uTorrent. Finally, add encryption.

Proxy settings on Vuze

Go to menu> Tools> Options > Connections> Proxy to access the Vuze proxy settings. Enter information on the host, port, username, password, and Socks version. After keying in the information, click the ‘TEST SOCKS5’ button to confirm that your setup is working. Also, ensure that you check all the boxes marked with a green dot.

Proxy settings on Deluxe

This torrent client requires that you manually configure the proxy settings for each service individually and you have to enter them one by one.

The facilities are Web Seed, Trackers, Peers and DHT. To use PIA proxy servers with deluge first go to Edit> Preferences> Proxy. The settings you will need to enter for each include; type, username, password, host, and the port.

Internet users not using a VPN are advised to use the Deluge’s built-in encryption by going to the network category in the preference menu.

Proxy settings on BitTorrent

To access the PIA proxy service with QBittorrent goes to; Tools> Options> Connections. Ensure that you key in information on; type, host, username, password and the port.

Conclusion:

From the above information, it is clear to state that using private internet access is much better when compared to other VPN service providers.

Users are yet to find another VPN service provider that offers more features, privacy, and performance than PIA at a lower cost. It gives more features at a lower price, and their commitment to users’ privacy is excellent.

PIA is committed to speeding, excellent software which has custom control over encryption strength and the algorithm used.Another great thing about using PIA is that in every subscription you make includes unlimited use of their Netherlands SOCKS5 proxy server which is great for torrents as it helps to get through torrent blocking firewalls.

When subscribed to private internet access, users can still get any VPN service for free as a reviewer. They offer their clients with free SOCKS5 proxy service and a secure connection, and you will never hear a client complaining about a dropped connection.